JL Wrangler vs New Ford Bronco

[jb1990]

No way the next Bronco will be designed to remove tops and doors.

Based on the history I dont see why not. Every Bronco ever made has had a top that could at least be partially removed. The '66 to '77 Broncos the entire roof could be removed. Granted after it became a full size you could only remove a portion of the roof but history suggests the next one should have some kind of open air design.

I tend to agree that Ford doesn't have the stomach to build it the way true off road enthusiasts demand, but I thought I remembered the Bronco concept from way back was designed with removable top. Not sure about the doors tho.

The 2004 concept had a more traditional door design. Not the simple two nuts to undo hinge, no visible wiring connector or nylon strap you can just pull off like the Wrangler. It did have door mounted mirrors but the vehicle doesn't seem to have been designed with door removal in mind. I don't blame them - it never was a big thing with the Bronco crowd. Another reason Broncos aren't Wranglers and never will be.

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[Doyles]

Bring it! I don't see anything they offer taking much market from Jeep. On the other hand, a Mini Raptor could be a home run for them. Contradicting I know, but the true Jeep faithful will always hold out for BOF, straight axles and the open air capabilities. No way the next Bronco will be designed to remove tops and doors.

The new Bronco will be BOF so that alone should get the enthusiasts' attention. How successful it actually is at taking Wrangler sales is gonna depend on packaging and pricing.

Pretty soon we're gonna officially see what the JL will offer so I wonder if Ford will have time to make engineering changes in reaction to it? At the very least they'll be able to price it to compete with the Wrangler.

 

[The Doc]

Bronco will not be direct competition for the Wrangler.

The market for the off road SUV is a lot smaller than it seems. If you consider the Wrangler has a monopoly on demand and almost anyone wanting to buy a vehicle like this is buying a Wrangler. That is less than 200k sold a year. Ford knows it can't steal even half of that from JEEP.

So they will do what they always do and build a more conventional mainstream SUV with some bells and whistles and an off road look. FORD knows it will sell more Broncos and they will have to spend less money this way.

 

[Joe Camel]

Bronco will not be direct competition for the Wrangler.

The market for the off road SUV is a lot smaller than it seems. If you consider the Wrangler has a monopoly on demand and almost anyone wanting to buy a vehicle like this is buying a Wrangler. That is less than 200k sold a year. Ford knows it can't steal even half of that from JEEP.

So they will do what they always do and build a more conventional mainstream SUV with some bells and whistles and an off road look. FORD knows it will sell more Broncos and they will have to spend less money this way.

I don't know how you can with certainty it won't be a direct competitor for the Wrangler. Sure the Wrangler rules the BOF 4x4 kingdom right now but what's to say that another company doesn't come along and basically copy the recipe, throw it on a car with a strong heritage name and enthusiast following, price it competitively, and go head to head with the Wrangler? That's exactly what Ford could do with the Bronco. Not saying they will but what's to stop them from doing that?

 

[SWinch]

I don't know how you can with certainty it won't be a direct competitor for the Wrangler. Sure the Wrangler rules the BOF 4x4 kingdom right now but what's to say that another company doesn't come along and basically copy the recipe, throw it on a car with a strong heritage name and enthusiast following, price it competitively, and go head to head with the Wrangler? That's exactly what Ford could do with the Bronco. Not saying they will but what's to stop them from doing that?

Agreed. For the first time in a long time the Wrangler may have some legitimate direct competition soon. The Ford Bronco and Land Rover Defender may both be capable of taking us on directly.

On the surface, the Wrangler's blueprint of a rugged, capable, configurable, body on frame SUV seems easy to copy but can the competitors capture the enthusiast's heart like the Wrangler has been able to do continuously for decades? That's the magic ingredient that you can't engineer in.

Jeep will always rule this segment Jeep will have to step up its game with this new gen Wrangler to ward off the new kids on the block.

 

[Uptonogood]

Word is Ford has bench marked the JKU Rubicon for the Bronco. It'll be VERY interesting if they can compete on performance AND looks AND price.

 

[Taimaishu]

Word is Ford has bench marked the JKU Rubicon for the Bronco. It'll be VERY interesting if they can compete on performance AND looks AND price.

So there'll be a 4 door Bronco for the first time?! I'd be surprised to see Ford introduce both a 2 and 4 door Bronco. They don't even know if it'll sell well so that'd be a gamble. And just because it'll be body on frame and carry the Bronco name alone won't make it successful. It'll have too be styled right, have actual off road chops, AND be highly modifiable to get Wrangler fans' attention.

 

[RDwheeler]

This isn't the 70's anymore. Any new vehicle will share platforms and the fact is it will be based off the Ford Everest sold abroad. Which means it will fail as a Wrangler competitor. Whether or not it actually sells in numbers is a different story.

 

[Joe Camel]

This isn't the 70's anymore. Any new vehicle will share platforms and the fact is it will be based off the Ford Everest sold abroad. Which means it will fail as a Wrangler competitor. Whether or not it actually sells in numbers is a different story.

Then the Bronco will pretty much be a stillborn. If it won't be bringing true off-road ability then it'll just be another soccer mom SUV and there's plenty of those already. And it'll be selling out the original Bronco name. Good for Wrangler sales but I always feel the more competition the better. It drives innovation and keeps pricing competitive.

 

[Billy]

Then the Bronco will pretty much be a stillborn. If it won't be bringing true off-road ability then it'll just be another soccer mom SUV and there's plenty of those already. And it'll be selling out the original Bronco name. Good for Wrangler sales but I always feel the more competition the better. It drives innovation and keeps pricing competitive.

If they build the new Bronco off the F-150 Raptor platform it'd KILL. A desert runner SUV, body on frame, all aluminum body, with ecoboost or new small powerstroke (there are rumors...) would be the new Texas limo.

 

[JLtherig]

This isn't the 70's anymore. Any new vehicle will share platforms and the fact is it will be based off the Ford Everest sold abroad. Which means it will fail as a Wrangler competitor. Whether or not it actually sells in numbers is a different story.

That's super presumptuous. The FJ shared platforms with other Toyota vehicles and it still managed to be pretty capable off road. It's like people are trying to call the score when the game hasn't even been played yet. Patience.

 

[RDwheeler]

That's super presumptuous. The FJ shared platforms with other Toyota vehicles and it still managed to be pretty capable off road. It's like people are trying to call the score when the game hasn't even been played yet. Patience.

And how did the FJ do? The reason it is out of production is directly because it was marketed as a direct Wrangler competitor and it failed in that respect.

I didn't say anywhere that the Everest could not off road. I said it would fail as a Wrangler competitor (if Ford chooses to bill it as a direct competitor).The Everest has been shown to be a capable off road vehicle and it sells decently well in Australia but you will be hard pressed to find many Wrangler owners/fans jumping ship for an Everest wearing Bronco clothing.

Ford will take the existing T6 architecture and make minor changes keeping most of the same hardware and specifications while giving it a Bronco sheet metal facelift.I have no doubt the vehicle will sell based on its name and image alone, but if Ford wants to claim this is a true Wrangler competitor it will have to prove it on the trail and in that respect it will not even be close. The Bronco has always been a lifestyle off roader. It's going to stay as such, and maybe even more so in this next iteration after learning lessons from the FJ.

 

[Vegas_Sirk]

I would say what killed the FJ was the lack of options. Its off-roading ability was good enough for 90% of people. It was the lack of 4-doors, removable doors & top, and general customization options. They also never did any updates to it from the time it was introduced.

If Ford builds a Bronco even with IFS (tuned by SVT ... ie Factory Long Travel set up), and has a vintage throw back look of the 60s (similar to the mustang), and offers 2 and 4 door options with removable top and doors, with their Ecoboost 6 and possible diesel thats coming out for the F150 they will pull buyers away from the Wrangler. Hard core Jeep fans, no, but most wrangler owners dont fit in that category.

 

[Cam]

^Agree. They sell 15k wranglers a month. Only a tiny percentage of that are loyal to the Jeep brand, the rest can be easily swayed. Ford hasn't even confirmed a Bronco is returning and look how much hype it has generated. If they deliver the basics needed to pass the BS test.. BOF, solid axles and iconic looks.. they will steal plenty of Wrangler sales imo.

 

[RobNY]

What's interesting is that when Daimler went through bankruptcy a lot of Jeep engineers moved on to Ford. I've also read that Ford hired some Jeep engineers as consultants to work on the suspension system of an unnamed product. Ford probably has the technical expertise to meet the Wrangler's capabilities so it might be a question of it they want to or not.

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